The courts have been busy this month as judges in North Wales handed out jail sentences to crooks and criminals found guilty of crime.

Every one of the men and women named here have been found guilty by a jury at court. They have deliberated over the evidence.

In many cases, the crimes were so horrific that only lengthy prison terms were appropriate.

From a mother who murdered her baby, a lesbian who tricked schoolgirls into sex by pretending to be male, to a paedophile who talked about raping a baby, these are the criminals locked up in February 2018.

Sentencing him to a total of 16 weeks in jail at Caernarfon magistrates court, bench chairman Alwyn Lloyd Ellis said: “The assault was unprovoked and committed while you were on licence from a previous prison sentence.”

Oliver Michael Hughes

Oliver Michael Hughes and his workmate Adrian Bonin, both from Wrexham , were driving at around twice the 30mph speed limit when they left work at a Wrexham Industrial Estate.

It was accepted by the prosecution that they were not racing but Hughes pulled out to overtake Bonin and crashed head-on into a Nissan Transporter being driven by Johanna Walsh in the opposite direction, on May 24 last year.

Hughes, 21, of Norman Road was jailed for 10 months and banned from driving for three years and five months.

Thomas James Davies

Mold Crown Court heard how during a police chase disqualified driver Thomas James Davies was held up by a school bus and other traffic.

But he mounted a kerb causing children to step back to avoid being struck and then drove on, but was later arrested, said prosecuting barrister Brian Treadwell.

The 21-year-old, of Woodland Drive in Holywell , had previously admitted that on December 18 he drove a silver Vauxhall Insignia dangerously in Strand Walk, Holywell, together with charges of driving while disqualified and no insurance.

Kurt Lee Burgess

At Mold Crown Court , Kurt Lee Burgess was jailed for four years and two months.

The 30-year-old had previously denied the offences and was due to go on trial next month.

But today he returned to court and asked for the charges to be put to him again.

Burgess, of Y Wern, Wrexham, was told by Judge David Hale that the sentence would have been five years but for his guilty pleas.

Ben Randles

(Image: North Wales Police)

A man who was on a two-day drinking binge when he produced a knife after being refused a drink at a Deeside public house has been jailed for two years.

Ben Randles, 24, told the barmaid who was working alone: “Give me a pint or I will stab you.”

He repeated the threat and stepped forward and the terrified barmaid ran upstairs at The Hare and Hounds at Connah’s Quay .

Randles left and the pub doors were locked and bolted.

Randles, of St Mark’s Avenue in Connah's Quay, was jailed for two years after he had previously admitted affray and possessing a black handled kitchen knife.

But he returned and there a threat to smash the back door unless it was opened.

Counterfeit cash gang

(Image: North Wales Police)

A gang of four people who travelled around North Wales conning small businesses - including a charity shop - with counterfeit cash have been locked up.

John Francis Maloney, 29, of no fixed address, Andrew Darren Capewell, 26, of May Street, Walsall, Tristan Beard, 29, of Wilkes Avenue, Walsall, and Jaleese Aarliyayah Lewis, 18, of Alvington Close, Willenhall, West Midlands, spent three days in North Wales at the end of January last year.

All four admitted conspiring together to pass the counterfeit currency between January 30 and February 4 last year.

Maloney was jailed today for two years, but Ms Maxwell said he was currently serving another three-year jail term for a similar offence.

The judge ordered the prison sentence he imposed be served consecutively to that sentence.

Beard and Capewell were jailed for 15 months each, while Lewis was given a 10-month sentence.

Hannah Turtle

(Image: North Wales Police)

The 22-year-old mum was jailed after poisoning and murdering her baby son James.

Turtle had denied murder, three charges of ill-treatment and two charges of administering James with her own anti-depression medication in his milk.

Turtle dramatically changed her plea mid-way through the trial, admitting all charges. Turtle accepted that she stopped him breathing on three occasions within a ten day period.

It was the third episode which led to his death. He suffered brain damage from a devastating lack of oxygen and blood, and died in hospital on June 13 at 58 days old.

Mr Justice Clive Lewis, sitting at Mold Crown Court, said the 22-year-old, described as “pure evil” by the baby’s grandmother, suffered from a personality disorder which reduced her culpability.

Hannah Turtle will have to serve a minimum of 14 years and nine months years before she could apply for parole. She also received six months for cruelty and 12 months for administering a noxious substance, to be served concurrently.

Joseph Garnett

The 26-year-old from Denbigh bit and repeatedly punched the victim after he refused to buy cocaine for him last April.

The victim reported the attack to police and Garnett was charged in October last year, but in a bid to get the case against him dropped, Garnett offered him £150 to drop the case. He then threatened him when he refused to accept the money.

A day later Garnett, of Maes y Dre, was questioned by police who then made the “extraordinary” decision to release him under investigation.

Garnett again intimidated the victim, less than three weeks later, repeatedly punching him in a Denbigh street.

Anthony McDonagh, Patrick Doyle and Jason Doyle

A driver preparing to sleep in his cab on Sunday night was woken by a man siphoning diesel from his truck in a lay-by at Dobshill.

The driver raised the alarm as they made off in a vehicle.

When their van was stopped, police found a large number of fuel containers and a siphoning tool.

All five occupants were arrested and three were jailed today after they admitted the theft of diesel.

Anthony McDonagh, 38, Patrick Doyle, 23, and Jason Doyle, 38, all of no fixed abode but who were said to have come from Ireland and parked their caravans in the Ellesmere Port area intending to do gardening work, each received six-week prison sentences.

Deputy District Judge Timothy Gasgoyne also banned all three from driving for 12 months.

The judge dismissed their explanations that it had been opportunistic as not being credible.

Andrew Crowther

David Andrew Crowther, 36, from the Colwyn Bay area, abused the girl, who was aged less than 13 years of age at the time, for more than a year between 2016 and 2017.

He warned her not to tell anyone but the girl told her mother last summer.

The police were alerted and Crowther was arrested.

Crowther denied the allegations claiming none of what the girl told detectives was true. He also denied having a sexual interest in children and could not explain how police technical experts found search terms indicative of the sexual abuse of youngsters on his phone.

He was handed a for 17 year sentence. In addition to the jail term he must spend an additional 12 months on extended licence.

Crowther was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and his name will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.

The drug addict had only been released from prison, for burglary and possessing a blade, the day before the offence took place.

The defendant, a heroin addict for most of his adult life, was with two men and a woman and was about to inject himself at the back of premises in Lord Street, Wrexham, when he was asked to move on by the owner of the Vasco Da Gama coffee shop.

Mcard with his arm fully extended pointed his needle towards victim Lewis Farrier, who feared he would be stabbed.

The 41-year-old of no fixed abode, but who had been living rough in Wrexham, admitted possessing the needle on July 15 last year.

The defendant was jailed for 40 weeks after he also admitted his 24th conviction of failing to attend court.

Mark Aizlewood and Paul Sugrue

Former Middlesbrough and Cardiff City player Paul Sugrue (left) and former Wales international Mark Aizlewood have been jailed for their part in the £5m scam. (Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire)

Former Wales international Mark Aizlewood, 58, from Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan, and Paul Sugrue, 56, from Cardiff - whose past clubs include Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City - had promised to help youngsters gain an NVQ in activity leadership.

They told colleges across the country they would provide full-time training in football coaching as well as work experience and a £95 weekly stipend to 3,800 students.

But in reality, hundreds of the students on their books did not even exist, many lived at the opposite end of the country from the scheme, while others were doing just two to three hours of study a week.

Earlier this month, Aizlewood was convicted of one count and Sugrue of two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation by offering the non-existent apprenticeships through their firm Luis Michael Training Ltd.

Aizlewood was sentenced to six years, while Sugrue was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Carl Neville Williams

Carl Neville Williams, 45, of no fixed abode, was in court on February 26, 2018, after he was found lying in the street twice in one day in Wrexham while on Black Mamba (Image: Andrew Price/View Finder Pictures)

On the first occasion, he was in Regent Street and was unable to get up.

He was helped up by staff from a local shop.

Two hours later, he was lying down outside the Co-Op with his trousers down and his underwear exposed.

An ambulance was called but he left before it arrived.

The incidents put Williams, 45, of no fixed abode, in breach of a criminal behaviour order. Williams admitted breaching the order, together with the theft of two computer tablets from a local restaurant and the attempted theft of an iPad.

Williams – said to have outstanding fines of more than £3,000 – was jailed for a total of 32 days.

Martin Cronk

Martin Cronk set fire to his flat in Brighton Road, Rhyl, causing £27,000 of damage

But Bamford, 38 was so drunk and high on cocaine that he could remember nothing about the attack which took place at the club on Fron Road, Connah's Quay on January 18, Mold Crown Court heard.

Bamford of Orchard Court in Nottingham, admitted a GBH charge and was jailed for 15 months.

Gavin Paul Prince

Gavin Paul Prince, 37, admitted five offences under the Computer Misuse Act and was locked up for 10 months. (Image: NORTH WALES POLICE)

Gavin Paul Prince, an IT expert who launched a revenge cyber attack on a company which ended his contract has been jailed.

The 37-year-old, of Llys Ywen, Llandudno Junction , attacked the systems of Colwyn Bay -based LetsXL – which provided support services to the lettings industry – in April of last year said prosecuting barrister Sion ap Mihangel.

There was evidence the defendant stopped the IT systems from working correctly.

Following Press publicity about his case a witness came forward who said he had told her he was taking over a business and the owner was being awkward. He warned if he did not co-operate he could “take them down any time I want”.

Mr Lunn became so concerned he terminated his contract and Prince then launched an attack on LetsXL’s systems over a four day period.

He changing the passwords to mailboxes causing a system failure where emails were not forwarded for processing. He accessed mailboxes of five company employees. In one case, emails had been set to delete.

Prince admitted five offences under the Computer Misuse Act and was locked up for 10 months.